Tag Archives: the Hobbit

Reading Tolkien

Like millions of other J.R.R. Tolkien fans I have been transfixed by the new televised adaptation of the Middle Earth saga. Waiting for the next episode to drop, I searched out a wonderful set of recordings of Tolkien reading from … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Film, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It is the small everyday deeds of folk that keep the darkness at bay

If you are a regular visitor to TBTP, you are well aware that I am a Tolkien aficionado. I imagine that many of you are also fans. Then you will be happy to learn that the Tolkien Estate has launched … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Libraries, Maps, movies, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Another Tolkien Surprise

As a collector and bookseller, I’ve seen many versions and editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel The Hobbit over the years. However, it wasn’t until recently that I was aware of Swedish and Finnish language editions that were illustrated by the anti-Fascist … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Nature of Middle-Earth

H/T to faithful reader Bonnie B. for this post Fans of the Tolkien Universe will be happy to hear that a veritable treasure of unpublished writings from J.R.R. Tolkien will be released this coming June by HaperCollins. Titled “The Nature … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Europe, Maps, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

An Unknown Hobbit

Slovak illustrator Peter Klúcik was commissioned to illustrate a new version of J R R Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 1988. For the project he created 40 illustrations that were rich in detail and quite different from previous works for Tolkien … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Gandalf has a blog

Starting in 1999 with his casting as Gandalf and continuing through 2003, Ian McKellan wrote a blog called The Grey Book about his experiences starring in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. If you are a fan, you’ll find … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Film, movies, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

There and back again (again)

Last year I posted a story about the Oxford Bodleian Library once-in-a-lifetime exhibition Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth, which was the most extensive public display of original Tolkien materials ever gathered in one place. This week I was dead chuffed to discover … Continue reading

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Libraries, Maps, movies, Museums, Photography, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

There and back again

A buyer recently contacted me to help him find an American first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit.  Since the amount that he was willing to pay was ridiculously below the usual prices that the title brings, I didn’t even bother … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Maps, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Writer’s Map

Just published, The Writer’s Map is a marvelous atlas of literary journeys made by authors. The book explores maps that inspired literary works as well as examples of cartography from famous works of fiction and film. Daniel Reeve recounts his creation of … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Film, History, Maps, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Long Walk To A Dark Place

A big h/t to Cameron Booth for the link to this marvelous Middle Earth “transit” map. Commissioned by Empire magazine,the brilliant map which plots the journeys of the key characters through the Peter Jackson film adaptations of The Hobbit and Lord of the … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Film, Maps, movies, Public Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment